Monday, July 16, 2012

Intern Profile on Carson Blackwelder

Television
shows crafted a hefty chunk of the ASME intern for TV Guide's journey -- even
before he stepped foot in its offices.

When
Carson Blackwelder, a current rising senior at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, kicked off his collegiate career, biology was the major affixed
on his transcript. But the summer following his start as a Tar Heel, he
edited that.

​"I just figured I would rather write and report about
'Grey's Anatomy' instead of actually (becoming) a doctor," Blackwelder said.

The
Kannapolis, N.C., native swapped his science-based major for a double-major in
journalism and English to pave his path to becoming an entertainment
journalist.

While
Blackwelder has thrusted himself into campus publications including newspapers
and magazines, the 21-year-old pins the "quintessential piece" in his
portfolio to the tube.

For
a class assignment, Blackwelder and his peers launched a magazine targeted to
the special needs community titled "wabisabi." Blackwelder's major
assignment for the publication was profiling a character on FOX's smash hit,
'Glee.'

Lauren
Potter, a 22-year-old actress with Down syndrome, plays Becky Foster, a
cheerleader with Down syndrome and Jane Lynch's spunky sidekick. While Potter
has made a name for herself in Tinseltown, she has also held her own in her
anti-bullying activism.

Through
maneuvering under what Blackwelder called "a lot of red tape," he
successfully set up a phone interview with Potter and her mother for
wabisabi.

During
the phone conference, Blackwelder said Potter unwrapped tales from her
childhood when she was bullied -- something he said was emotional to digest
over the speaker. He said Potter told stories of when she would hear girls
snickering at her in the Target checkout line, but she wouldn't simply brush
off her taunters.

"She would basically just call them out on it,"
Blackwelder said. "She had so much spunk it was crazy. Her character on
'Glee' I think is her a lot in real life."

Now,
as an ASME editorial intern for TV Guide magazine, Blackwelder is still
immersed in the realm of what flickers across television screens. He said his
responsibilities at the mag range from transcribing celebrity interviews (!!!)
to typing up character profiles and episode recaps.

"I was like, 'That is Eric McCormack's head!'"
Blackwelder gushed. "He was in for a special interview and photo session."

While
Blackwelder said his time at TV Guide thus far (celeb sightings and all) has
only confirmed his passion for entertainment journalism, he was put to the test
to unveil his entertainment industry faves to ASME.

Dream
Interview: "I would love to do a 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' cast
reunion. I'm the biggest fan. I'm almost through watching the series on Netflix
now and I love it. I can't wait to get into the comics." (Blackwelder
added that two of the staffers at TV Guide have 'Buffy' listed as their
favorite show.)

Favorite
TV Show (On Air): "'How I Met Your Mother.' I keep coming back to
that show, trying to relate my life to that show -- I love all the characters.
Alyson Hannigan is from 'Buffy.' Jason Segel is probably my favorite actor in
total."

When
Blackwelder wrote his first entry for the ASME Intern Blog prior to his first
day at TV Guide, he said he hoped not to spill coffee on himself and to keep
his composure. For the record, no Tide to Go pens were uncapped.